First Christmas
by Leosia Major
Summary: Human AU. Gilbert and Ludwig spend their first Christmas together without their parents. (German brothers with mentioned PruHun and GerIta)


**Author's Note: **This is a belated Christmas story I wrote for a Secret Santa exchange on Tumblr. I decided that I worked hard enough on this that I wanted to share it with you guys here. I hope you enjoy it! As for my other fics, they all will be updated this month, don't worry! I have school starting up again and I'm moving, so I'm slow on updates but you will have them all!

As always, concrit is appreciated. Please review and thank you so much for reading.

* * *

The Bielschmidts had never been a close family. Aldrich, the father, had been a well-respected government agent and had been so for the last thirty years, bearing the retirement age. He had worked harder than ever after his sons were grown, eager to make money and to retire so that he and his wife would be comfortable. Louise, the mother had primarily been a wife and mother for her entire life. After spending her first fall with her younger son out of the house, she had immersed herself in volunteer work. The occupation of her time and the usefulness of her work had done her good.

The eldest son, Gilbert, was an engineer working for the German Aerospace Center. He was engaged to a young woman and at twenty six he'd already bought his own home. He visited when he could, but work and his own social life kept him quite busy. Ludwig, the younger son, was at university now. He'd thrown himself into his academic career, sparing little time for anything else but school and the few friends (and boyfriend) he had.

They all supported one another and their individual efforts, of course. But they all simply were involved in their own lives to really spend much time together. Even Louise and Aldrich had not as much spent time together as others thought a married couple should. This had been their lives and they had all been content in it. They were individuals until the Christmas season. Something then, changed in the family.

Aldrich had always spent more time at home in December. He took Christmas decorating seriously and their lawn always had an impressive light display out front. Louise had always taken Christmas baking to a new level. Her Christmas cookies and candies were the envy of the neighborhood. Ludwig, like his father, enjoyed the decorating. He'd always made a point to help him. Even Gilbert got into the spirit and most years spent more and more time at his parents' home. More often than not he'd even bring his fiancé.

Christmas had always been special for the Bielschmidts. It was the one time of year when they all came together; when they did things together and really cherished one another as a family. It was routine and predictable, but none of them would have their holidays any other way. Since the boys were children, each year had been the same. Of course there had been differences as the boys grew, but Christmas was always a time for family, and every year they could count on their usual festivities. There was no way they could have known that the previous Christmas had been their last as a family.

It had been mid-November when tragedy struck. Ludwig had been away at college, and Gilbert had been busy with his job and fiancé. Life for Aldrich and Louise Bielschmidt had settled into a new routine of work and personal projects, but never did they forget their always punctual, monthly date night. Once each month they made one another a priority - it had been something they'd done since Ludwig had first entered high school and they'd had no need to stand watch over a young child. The night had started out as any other - a short drive for dinner followed by plans to see a movie. Hours later the brothers had received the call. Louise and Aldrich hadn't made it to dinner. Just blocks away from their home their car had been struck head on by an oncoming car driving in the wrong lane. Louise had died in the collision while Aldrich had died en route to the hospital.

The funeral had been held over Ludwig's fall break from school. The whole affair was quick with both sons grieving only in private. It had been a weekend full of ostentatious floral arrangements, handshakes and gracious thank yous for words of sympathy. Neither young man had been equipped to deal with such an affair. Ludwig was quiet, stoic and private in his feelings. Gilbert was outwardly carefree, choosing humor over public sadness. When the weekend had come to an end, both Ludwig and Gilbert returned to their private lives with no real plans to spend the break together.

—-

When Gilbert attended university, it had always been Aldrich's job to drive up to the school and to bring their eldest son home for the holidays. Now that their father was gone, Gilbert took it upon himself to retrieve Ludwig after his exams. The younger brother had protested for a week, insisting that he could take a train home or catch a ride with a friend. Of course, Gilbert would have none of these protests and simply shook them off, informing him he'd be there the evening after his last exam. The academic schedule had been cutting it close this year - it was already the 22nd when Ludwig finished his exams.

It was around six in the evening when he pulled up in front of his brother's dormitory. Ludwig was prompt as always and was already standing with his luggage at the doors. The blond readily hauled his belongings into Gilbert's trunk and took his seat beside the elder brother. "Thank you for picking me up." He said gruffly.

"Yeah, no problem." Gilbert nodded, trying not to mention their father in any capacity. All month long he'd been dreading and avoiding the holidays, much to his fiancé's chagrin. He was sure Elizaveta was going to strangle him if he didn't show at least a bit of holiday cheer soon. He fell silent, as did Ludwig, and the drive back to their home town was quiet.

"You're welcome to stay with us, you know." Gilbert offered after a good hour of silence.

"I don't want to intrude." Ludwig shook his head in response.

"It's not intruding. Lizzie just got the guest bedroom all set up and you know she'd love to see you." Came the veiled plea. The idea of Ludwig spending the holidays alone in their parents' empty house was sickening.

"I want to stay home." Ludwig insisted firmly.

"Alright, alright." Gilbert held his hands up in defeat. "What about Christmas?" He asked. "D'you have plans for that yet? I mean … We could do something … y'know?" What they could do that wouldn't be excruciatingly painful, he didn't know, but it seemed only right for them to be together.

"I figured you'd be going to Elizaveta's parents' house." Ludwig remarked, lifting an eyebrow.

"Ah …" Gilbert rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, she wants me to but I don't have to. Or you can come, y'know. They'd be happy to have you." He felt relieved when Ludwig seemed to consider the offer for a moment.

"I think you should go. I can visit with friends." Ludwig's reply was a bit forced. Again the brothers lapsed into silence. It was strange now, trying to force closeness. They'd both been close to their parents and with them, they'd felt close, as a part of a whole family. Now it seemed so forced, fake almost. They were eight years apart. Gilbert had become an adult by the time Ludwig was just beginning to figure the world out. What did they have in common save for blood?

"We'll do something the day after." Gilbert tried. He knew he wasn't Ludwig's guardian. He was a teenager, yes, but he was an adult in the eyes of the law and capable of caring for himself in most ways.

"Yes." Ludwig nodded. "We'll do something after." He assured Gilbert, forcing a bit of a smile for him. "You will be alright for the holiday?" He asked, double checking.

"Yeah. You?"

"Yes."

Gilbert let go of a little sigh as he parked outside his parents' home. "Let me know if you need anything, okay?" He asked, watching Ludwig get out of the car.

"I will." Ludwig promised, and waved as the older of the pair headed to his home in the next town over.

—-

Christmas Day dawned with a morning that was as gray and dreary as Gilbert felt. There was snow coming, he suspected, but for now the steely gray, chilly atmosphere did his mood no favors. Everything about the day reminded him of his family. Every Christmas song, decoration and food left him worrying about Ludwig. He sent his younger brother a text, a short and sweet 'How's the day going?' and received a 'Just fine. Hope yours is well' in response. The simple reply didn't do him much good as far as worry went. Still, Ludwig had said he had plans with his friends, and he had promised Elizaveta that he'd go to Christmas dinner with her family. He tried his best throughout the day to be cheerful, but how could he? His entire holiday was different this year. Nothing was as it should be, and while he did love his fiancé and he while did love his future in laws it did little to soothe his wounds.

Across town, Ludwig had made plans with some of his friends. Most of them had non-religious families, or had plans only for Christmas day. They'd planned to go out for dinner somewhere cheap and just catch up, talking about their first semesters of college or their first few months out of high school and in the work world. It had sounded appealing in theory … but when he thought about it, he wasn't sure he wanted to be around them. He didn't want to be alone, but the idea of feigning cheer for his friends seemed exhausting. Each of them would want to know how he was doing. They'd all probably have offers to come visit for Christmas Day. Most of his friends' parents liked him very much - they said he was a good influence. How could he really enjoy Christmas with another family when everything he'd known was gone?

By the time evening came around, he'd concocted an entire list of excuses of why he couldn't go, and managed to cancel all of his plans. Most of his friends seemed to buy it - even his boyfriend Feliciano seemed to understand his lack of enthusiasm. While it was a relief, he realized now he had an evening to spend alone. He set down his cellphone, uninterested in anymore conversation and surveyed the house. It was dark save for the few lights he'd turned on. There was a fine film of dust most everywhere. Everything was in its place, untouched, exactly as it had been when he and Gilbert had shut the doors at the end of that dreaded weekend.

There was no tree, no lights in the windows nor on the lawn. There was no lingering smell of Christmas cookies nor the gentle reminder of pine in the air. There was no faint jingle of bells nor the soothing sounds of carols. It was dark, silent and still, and it made Ludwig's heart ache. It was wrong, and he realized he just couldn't let this continue. It was already Christmas Eve, and it was already evening. He was alone and there would be nobody else to share in it. He didn't care. Just because his parents were gone didn't mean this house couldn't see Christmas one last time before they fixed it up and sold it.

Now determined to decorate at least one room, Ludwig made his way to the garage where his father stored everything. It wasn't too hard to locate the Christmas decorations. The long, rectangle of a box that held the fake tree was obvious enough, and it was surrounded by a wall of brown, cardboard boxes, all labeled 'Christmas'. There was no 'X-Mas' labeling in the Bielschmidt house. Nothing annoyed his father more about the season than that 'disrespectful abbreviation'. He started with the tree, lifting the heavy carrier from its place and carrying it into the living room. Next he carried the two boxes of ornaments and lights in, setting them beside the tree box.

He bent to unpack the tree and froze, hearing something outside. There was a crunch of gravel on the walkway. He frowned. Who on Earth would be coming here so late? He stood, ready to see to the door when it opened. Gilbert walked in and blinked in surprise. "You're still here." He remarked stupidly, looking Ludwig over.

"I'm staying here." Ludwig countered. "What are you doing here? I thought you were going to Elizaveta's parents' tonight."

The elder brother shrugged. "I was." He admitted. "But I got there and … I just had to be here. Y'know?" He asked. "I'm guessing you felt the same thing, otherwise you'd be out with that little gang of yours." He mused.

"I didn't want to have to deal with everyone's pitied invites." Ludwig confessed.

"So you're decorating the tree?" Gilbert asked, nodding to the half opened box.

"I thought the house could use a little Christmas."

"You're missing ambiance." Gilbert teased, and shut the door behind himself. He set a case of beer on the coffee table and walked over to the stereo. "C'mon. We need some music." He said with a little smile. Their father had loved Christmas carols. He flipped on the switch to a station that played constant carols all season long. He moved then to light one of their mother's scented candles. It wasn't actual baking pie, but the smell was close enough.

"Almost." Ludwig said thoughtfully, and nodded to the fireplace when Gilbert gave him a questioning look.

"I like the way you think." Gilbert grinned, and while Ludwig set up the tree, Gilbert got a fire started. Before long, it was hard to tell there was any grief between them at all. The radio played a gentle rendition of 'Silent Night' as the fire cast a warm glow over the living room. Together the brothers worked on stringing lights around the tree - colored and white, of course. Their mother had always said colored lights alone were too dark, and white alone was too boring. The mixture was perfect and the two had to agree she'd always had a point.

"Hey," Gilbert said as they began to hang each ornament on the tree. "D'you remember this one?" He asked. It was the shape of a bell with a single thumb print in the middle. The print had marker around it to make it look like a smiling angel with wings.

"Mutter griped and griped at you to make one of those at the school bazaar." Ludwig chuckled softly.

"Yeah, I finally made one!"

"When you were fourteen and graduating the middle school!" Ludwig shot back, making them both laugh. He fell silent then as he took out an ornament shaped like a bear wearing a sweater bearing the symbol for the London Underground. "Vater got this one. Do you remember?" He asked.

"How could I forget?" Gilbert snickered. "Mutter and Vater lost you at the station and went on ahead. Mutter was crying for hours while you sat on your butt at the previous stop!" He shook his head and took a break from the ornaments to grab them both a beer.

They carried on like that for the next hour, swapping the stories of each ornament, of Christmases past and their parents as they drank together. They were eight years apart, and growing up they'd simply never been close. It had seemed without their parents to bind them, they'd simply fall apart, but Ludwig was starting to realize that just wasn't true. "We're going to be okay, aren't we?" He asked Gilbert, though it was more of a statement and less of a question.

Gilbert slung his arm around his brother's shoulders - a task that involved some tip toe standing thanks to Ludwig's immense height. "Yeah … Yeah, I think so." He remarked, surveying their work. Their family had broken, and things would never be the same. It was impossible to fix things as they were, but with a bit of work, perhaps they could fix things to be different, but just as good.

"Merry Christmas, Luddy." Gilbert said, tipping his beer bottle against Ludwig's.

"Merry Christmas, Gil." Ludwig returned the toast, smiling warmly at the tree.


End file.
